Tar Heels advance to World Series

North Carolina celebrates after defeating South Carolina in an NCAA Super Regional final baseball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Sunday, June 10, 2007. North Carolina won 9-4 to advance to the College World Series. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - For the second straight year, Chad Flack homered to send North Carolina to the College World Series.

Flack's tiebreaking two-run shot in the seventh sent the Tar Heels to a 9-4 win over South Carolina on Sunday night in the deciding game of their best-of-three super regional series.

Flack - whose two-run game-ending homer in last season's super regional at Alabama gave the Tar Heels their first CWS berth since 1989 - came through with another crucial shot in the postseason. This time, his towering drive to left-center off reliever Will Atwood snapped a 4-4 tie.

Flack's seventh homer of the season and first since May 19 came just in time for North Carolina (53-13), which snapped a nine-game homer drought and now will face Mississippi State in Omaha.

South Carolina forced the winner-take-all finale earlier in the day by holding off the Tar Heels' comeback bid and completing a suspended-game 8-6 victory.

In that game, which was suspended Saturday night because of lightning and heavy rain, the Gamecocks nearly blew a six-run lead for the second straight game but used Smoak's 22nd homer and a key two-run double by Phil Disher to stay alive for one more game.

Oregon St. 1, Michigan 0

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Joey Wong's RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning spoiled Zach Putnam's bid for a no-hitter and led defending national champion Oregon State to a 1-0 victory over Michigan in the opening game of their super regional Sunday.

Wong hit a soft liner on a 1-2 pitch from Putnam into left field to score pinch-runner Braden Wells from second base as the throw to the plate from Michigan's Derek VanBuskirk was late.

UC Irvine 3, Wichita St. 2

WICHITA, Kan. - Bryan Peterson's double in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted UC Irvine over Wichita State and sent the Anteaters to the College World Series for the first time in school history.

Louisville 20, Oklahoma State 2

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Isaiah Howes hit a grand slam and drove in six runs as Louisville pounded out 21 hits in routing Oklahoma State to earn its first trip to the College World Series.

Arizona State 7, Mississippi 1

Josh Satow pitched seven and two-thirds scoreless innings to lead the Sun Devils into the College World Series.